Field Hockey Weekly Release - Week 9

Ivy League Field Hockey Overall/Conference Statistics

Photos courtesy of Brown and Dartmouth Athletics Communications and Princeton Athletic Communications

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Two games remain on the Ivy League schedule, but No. 2 Princeton only needs to win one to clinch at least a share of the League title, which would be its eighth-consecutive championship.

The Tigers (13-1, 5-0 Ivy) won twice last week, defeating Harvard (3-10, 1-4 Ivy), 7-0, and No. 4 UConn, 4-1. Junior Michelle Cesan and freshman Teresa Benvenuti each scored twice and senior Katie Reinprecht had a goal and an assist against the Crimson, while senior Kathleen Sharkey netted two goals and sophomore Sydney Kirby tallied a goal and an assist against the Huskies, which marked Princeton’s fifth win over a ranked opponent this season.

Entering last week, there was a three-way tie for second-place between Columbia, Cornell and Dartmouth. But at week’s end, the Big Green (9-5, 4-1 Ivy) held sole possession of the second spot in the standings. Dartmouth defeated the Lions, 5-2, behind a pair of goals from junior Olivia Quaglia, and Cornell (7-7, 3-2 Ivy) fell to Brown (5-9, 1-4 Ivy), 4-3 in double-overtime. Sophomore Haley Alvarez’s gamewinner in the 94th minute gave the Bears their first Ivy win since Nov. 6, 2010, when they defeated Yale, 3-2. Cornell junior Hannah Balleza scored twice in the loss.

Penn (7-6, 2-3 Ivy) held off Yale (4-9, 1-4 Ivy), 3-2, in the fourth Ivy game last week. Junior Julie Tahan finished with a goal and two assists in the win.

Besides Princeton’s win over the fourth-ranked Huskies, other non-conference wins for the Ivy League included Cornell’s 2-1 victory over Davidson, Dartmouth’s 6-1 defeat of Vermont and Brown’s 2-1 win over Rutgers, a game in which sophomore goalie Shannon McSweeney posted a career-high 22 saves.

Princeton remained No. 2 in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Coaches Poll, receiving seven first-place votes. The Tigers face Cornell and Penn to close out their Ivy season; a win over the Big Red would guarantee Princeton the League’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship, thanks to its previous victory over Dartmouth. The Big Green faces Harvard this week, while Yale takes on Columbia and Penn hosts Brown. The non-conference action is highlighted by the Quakers’ game against cross-town rival Villanova on Wednesday and Dartmouth at No. 19 New Hampshire and Yale vs. No. 15 Boston U. on Sunday.

CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Brown had not won an Ivy League contest since the end of the 2010 season when Cornell came to Providence last week, but sophomore goalie Shannon McSweeney (Boxborough, Mass.) made sure to put an end to that particular streak, posting 14 saves in a double-overtime win over the Big Red. Six of her stops came in overtime, one of which was on a penalty stroke early in the first extra period. The next day, McSweeney stood on her head, stopping a career-high 22 saves in a 2-1 win over Rutgers, including stops in the final 10 minutes when the Scarlet Knights earned seven of their 21 penalty corners.

McSweeney also stopped 10 shots in a 4-1 loss to Providence to give her 46 saves in three games last week for a .852 save percentage. McSweeney earns her second career Ivy League weekly award after being named Rookie of the Week on Oct. 11, 2011, and becomes the first Bear to be named Player of the Week since Leslie Springmeyer shared the honor with Dartmouth’s Lisa Masini’s on Nov. 2, 2010.

McSweeney’s Weekly Stats
3 GP-3 GS, 233:33 Mins., 8 GA, 2.40 GAA, 46 Svs., .852 Sv. %, 2-1

For the second-straight week, Dartmouth sophomore Ali Savage (Orange, New South Wales, Australia) earns Player of the Week honors. Savage scored four goals in the Big Green’s 6-1 win over Vermont, including the gamewinner, setting a career-high and finishing one goal shy of the program record. Savage followed that performance with an assist on the gamewinning score of Dartmouth’s 5-2 win over Columbia, collaborating with Maya Herm for the goal.

Savage takes home her fifth career Ivy League weekly award and her second Player of the Week honor after being named Rookie of the Week three times last season. She is the first Big Green to be named Player of the Week twice in the same season since Kelly Hood (Sept. 29, Nov. 3) in 2009.

Savage’s Weekly Stats
2 GP, 4G, 1A, 9 Pts., 10 Shots, 7 SOG, 1 GW

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Princeton freshman Teresa Benvenuti (Morristown, N.J.) helped her team go 2-0 on the week, scoring three goals in the two games. Benvenuti found the back of the net twice in a 7-0 win over Harvard, and then scored Princeton's first goal in an eventual 4-1 win over No. 4 UConn.

Benvenuti earns her second Rookie of the Week award this season (Sept. 18) and becomes Princeton’s first two-time recipient of the award since Christina Maida (Sept. 21, Oct. 12) in 2010.

Benvenuti’s Weekly Stats
2 GP, 3G, 6 Pts., 6 Shots, 5 SOG, 1 GW

HONOR ROLL
Hannah Balleza, Cornell (Jr., F – Severna Park, Md.)
2 GP, 3G, 6 Pts., 10 Shots, 8 SOG, 1 GW

Katie DeSandis, Columbia (Sr., D – Emmaus, Pa.)
1 GP, 2A, 2 Pts.

Anna Masini, Brown (Fr., D – Ann Arbor, Mich.)
3 GP, 1 Shot, 1 SOG, 1 DS

Julie Tahan, Penn (Jr., M – Morristown, N.J.)
2 GP, 1G, 2A, 4 Pts., 8 Shots, 5 SOG, 1 DS

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, October 24
Brown at Holy Cross, 6 pm
Penn at Villanova, 7 pm

Saturday, October 27
*No. 2 Princeton at Cornell, 12 pm
*Columbia at Yale, 12 pm
*Harvard at Dartmouth, 1 pm

Sunday, October 28
Dartmouth at No. 19 New Hampshire, TBA
*Brown at Penn, 12 pm
Columbia at Rutgers, 1 pm
Holy Cross at Cornell, 2 pm
1-No. 15 Boston U. at Yale, 2 pm
Harvard at Vermont, 2 pm

KEY
*-Ivy League Contest
1-CPTV

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
September 4 – Kathleen Sharkey (Princeton)
September 11 – Gabby Kozlowski (Columbia)/Katie Reinprecht (Princeton)
September 18 – Kathleen Sharkey (Princeton)
September 25 – Maggie Scanlon (Dartmouth)/Sarah Hasson (Penn)
October 2 – Carolyn Horner (Cornell)
October 9 – Hannah Balleza (Cornell)
October 16 – Ali Savage (Dartmouth)
October 23 – Shannon McSweeney (Brown)/Ali Savage (Dartmouth)
October 30 –
November 6 –

ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
September 4 – Elizabeth Hitti (Penn)
September 11 – Anna Scipioni (Columbia)
September 18 – Teresa Benvenuti (Princeton)
September 25 – Elizabeth Hitti (Penn)
October 2 – Alexis Miller (Brown)/Elizabeth Jacobson (Harvard)
October 9 – Marisa Siergiej (Cornell)
October 16 – Taylor Standiford (Cornell)
October 23 – Teresa Benvenuti (Princeton)
October 30 –
November 6 –

HONOR ROLL
September 4 – Liza Masini (Dartmouth), Shannon McSweeney (Brown), Christie O’Hara (Columbia), Hannah Rogers (Brown), Julie Tahan (Penn), Cynthia Tassapoulos (Harvard)
September 11 – Mary Beth Barham (Yale), Amelia Cohen (Penn), Clayton Christus (Brown), Elizabeth Hitti (Penn), Hannah Rogers (Brown)
September 18 – Molly Andrews (Columbia), Hannah Balleza (Cornell), Mary Beth Barham (Yale), Christina Freibott (Columbia), Shannon McSweeney (Brown)
September 25 – Hannah Balleza (Cornell), Erica Borgo (Yale), Maddie Copeland (Princeton), Liz Malone (Columbia), Hannah Rogers (Brown), Kathleen Sharkey (Princeton), Brooke Van Valkenburg (Dartmouth)
October 2 – Allison Evans (Princeton), Ellen Meyer (Dartmouth), Meghan O’Donnell (Brown), Carly Sokach (Penn), Cynthia Tassopoulos (Harvard)
October 9 – Katie DeSandis (Columbia), Sarah Hasson (Penn), Elizabeth Hitti (Penn), Syndey Kirby (Princeton)
October 16 – Hannah Balleza (Cornell), Erica Borgo (Yale), Christina Freibott (Columbia), Gabby Kozlowski (Columbia), Julia Reinprecht (Princeton), Carly Sokach (Penn)
October 23 – Hannah Balleza (Cornell), Katie DeSandis (Columbia), Anna Masini (Brown), Julie Tahan (Penn)
October 30 –
November 6 –

WEEKLY AWARD HISTORY

*Shared honor